About the Program

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Program Details

The focus of the field of student affairs is students — serving, supporting, and challenging them in the out-of-classroom environment, and helping them maximize the educational and developmental benefits of their college experience. The skills and special training of student affairs professionals offer three invaluable contributions:

To the institution – Student affairs serves as the primary vehicle for attaining the institution’s mission within the co-curriculum.

To the students – Student affairs serves as a source of co-curricular services and activities in support of both their curricular education and their personal growth and maturation.

To both the institution and its students – Student affairs is one of the few dominant integrative forces on the campus that strives to interpret the institution holistically to its students according to their individual needs and aspirations.

Program Format

Full-time traditional students complete the College Counseling and Student Development program in two years. Classes are held on a weekly basis utilizing the university’s nine-week session schedule. Students pursuing this option who are employed three-quarters time or more will take longer to complete their degree.

Student Outcomes

Because the specific roles of student affairs practitioners vary greatly across
functions and institutional types, this graduate program seeks to prepare student
affairs educators who have a generalist perspective of the profession and possess
the basic competencies necessary to be successful in a wide range of circumstances.
Specifically, upon completion of the graduate program, students should be able to
demonstrate competence in these areas:

A well-defined moral, ethical, and spiritual compass

Visionary leadership

Quality programming

Assessment and evaluation

Counseling and advising

Budgeting and fiscal management

Fostering student learning

Legal and ethical issues

Effective campus and community relationships

Managing conflict and crisis

Pluralism, inclusion, and social justice

Technology

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the M.S. in College Counseling and Student Development program pursue career opportunities in residential life, career development, campus ministries, admissions, counseling, academic support services, student activities, student financial services, service-learning, athletics, judicial affairs, special student services, counseling and testing, and many other cocurricular campus programs.

Note: This information is current for the 2014-15 academic year; however, all stated academic information is subject to change. Please refer to the current Academic Catalog for more information.